Colours of the Kalahari launched

Large canvas prints arranged around the room paid tribute to some of the majestic moments Lochner had managed to capture during his 800 days in the Kalahari.

A sense of before and after

A leopard watching a Cape cobra descending a tree, a drop of rain falling on the head of a Bibron's gecko, a black-backed jackal attacking a flock of birds, two black-maned male lions walking side by side. One thing that becomes clear from Lochner's work is how he tries to tell a story through his images. During the few years spanning this project, he became a part of many of the animals' lives, observing their daily routines, habits, characters, relationships and acts of spontaneity from a distance. Not surprisingly, he tries to portray this to the viewer through the images by portraying a definite sense of a before and an after in each photograph.

The book contains a fair number of pictures of beautiful birds - both as prey and as predators. Lochner advised aspiring photographers: "Start by taking photos of birds - even the ones in your garden. Birds are a great challenge because they never sit still. If you can master bird photography, you can master anything."

Hannes Lochner

Go grab an umbrella

Lochner also suggested that photography enthusiasts be not deterred by awkward weather conditions. "If it rains, don't pack up your gear and call it a day. Go grab an umbrella and carry on - you'll be surprised at some of the great features rain can add to your photographs."

One of the most endearing qualities that such a mammoth project demonstrates in an artist, however, is patience - something Lochner seems to possess plenty of. He told the crowd that although he set goals for himself for the project, sometimes weeks will go by without him capturing a single satisfactory photograph. "Don't give up," he urged listeners. "You have to persevere. Sometimes, it takes hours of photographing the same event before you catch what you were looking for. Other times, the perfect photo comes out of the blue and finds you."

Wrapping up in Durban

Having done promotions and signings for his new book in Cape Town and Johannesburg, Lochner will be wrapping up the nationwide launch at Durban Country Club on 27 August.

His debut compilation Colours of Southern Africa, the first of his "Colours of Africa" series was published in 2008.

More information about his work, and how to obtain copies and/or prints of his images can be found at www.lochnerphoto.com or by e-mailing moc.otohprenhcol@ofni.

Follow him on Twitter @lochnerphoto